The Mayo Clinic health letter advises using both heat and cold treatments to relieve sore muscles, cites the Medical News Today website. The letter states to use cold first to bring down the inflammation and ease pain. Use a cold pack for 20 minutes every four to six hours over the course of a few days. After the inflammation subsides, switch to a hot pack to release the tightness in your muscles and alleviate pain. Use heat for 20 minutes three times a day. Heat is the more effective method if you have chronic pain. The addition of allspice in the pack can help your muscles even more than a plain hot or cold pack. Smashed berries of the allspice tree or allspice essential oil release tightness and relieve pain in muscles, says Carol and David Schiller in "Aromatherapy Oils: A Complete Guide."
Prepare the Fabric
Step 1
Cut out two horseshoe-shaped pieces from a piece of fabric, making sure they match the shape of each other. The pattern should be large enough to wrap around the back of your shoulders.
Step 2
Lay the pieces, one of top of the other, on your workspace. The inside of both pieces of fabric should be facing outward during this step.
Step 3
Sew together the pieces of fabric with a sewing machine or by hand with a needle and thread, leaving an extra ¼ to ½ inch of fabric all around the edges.
Step 4
Leave one end of the horseshoe shape open.
Step 5
Turn the fabric right side out.
Prepare the Filling
Step 1
Measure enough flaxseeds to fill your fabric and pour them into a bowl. You could use half rice as well to save money.
Step 2
Drop 10 drops of allspice essential oil or 2 tbsp. crushed allspice berries on the flaxseeds.
Step 3
Mix the allspice with the flaxseeds to disperse the scent.
Assemble the Pack
Step 1
Pour the flaxseed and allspice mixture into the open end of the fabric. Do not completely fill the pocket; you want to leave room to allow the flaxseeds to move around in the pack to form around the body.
Step 2
Fold the extra ¼ to ½ inch of fabric down inside the pack.
Step 3
Sew the open end shut, stitching as close to the edges as you can.
Use the Pack
Step 1
Freeze the pack for at least one hour to use as a cold pack.
Step 2
Microwave the pack for one minute or until heated to use as a hot pack.
Step 3
Wrap the pack around your shoulders to receive the benefits of its heat or cold and the allspice.
Tips and Warnings
- If you desire, evenly spread the flaxseeds along the horseshoe and sew vertical lines all across the horseshoe. This keeps the flaxseeds spread out, instead of falling to one side. Store the pack in a plastic bag to keep the scent fresh when not in use. If the pack loses its scent after time passes, drop a few drops of allspice essential oil onto the pack to refresh it.
- Carol and David Schiller, in "Aromatherapy Oils: A Complete Guide," warn that allspice might cause skin reactions. You might want to perform a spot test on your skin before using allspice in your shoulder pack.
Things You'll Need
- Sewing needle or machine
- Thread
- Fabric
- Flaxseed
- Allspice
- Bowl
References
- Medical News Today: What's Best for Sore Muscles, Heat or Cold? Apparently Both, Cold and Then Later Heat
- "Aromatherapy Oils: A Complete Guide"; Carol and David Schiller; 1996.
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